Picture Perfect
by Mistress of the Diamond Skies
Summary: Trip thinks back to the single happiest moment of his life. One shot.


**Honestly, I don't know how this story was created. I was listening to "Brave Song" (the ending for Angel Beats!), thinking about how much the song fits Trip (it's basically about someone walking alone in this world before being introduced to "others" [in this particular case, my Original Characters] and realizing that they aren't _really_ all that alone), and then...****  
**

**Well, just read this little one-shot I made, 'kay?**

* * *

_**M**__y story begins with a memory._

* * *

It was a sunny, cloudless afternoon on the day of my seventh birthday. My parents, who decided to leave the region for some 'alone time', had left me in charge with my babysitter - a girl twice my age named Amy Dawson.

"Hey, Trip!" She hung her coat in the hall closet before joining me on the living room couch. "A little Pidove told me that today was your birthday!"

"Yeah."

"What's the matter?" Amy stared at me, worried. "Aren't you happy that today's your birthday?"

"Well...yes, and no."

Golden eyes met my stony grey. "Why 'no?'"

"...On this day every year, before you became my permanent babysitter," I found myself admitting, "my parents would suddenly disappear without so much as a hurried goodbye and leave me with babysitter after babysitter until one of them gives them a call, demanding that they'd come back so they can return to their regular lives. The only difference with this year is that, again, you're my permanent babysitter."

"Trip?"

"...Yes, Amy?"

She stood up, auburn hair swaying. "I'm just going to let you know something - I have no intent on a) abandoning you on a day like this, or b) calling your parents any time soon."

This was my time to stare at _her._ "What?"

"You heard me." With that, she held a hand out to me. "I'm going to make this day count."

Stupidly, I repeated, "_what?_"

She giggled. "You'll see, Mr. Cameron."

And with that, she tied her jacket around her waist, handed me mine, and we were out the door.

* * *

"So, where would you like to go first?"

"...Anywhere..."

Teasingly, she said, "_Anywhere?_"

I grudgingly cracked a smile. "Nacrene City."

"I would've thought that you'd suggest Nimbasa, considering what it's known for," Amy commented offhandedly. She then grinned. "Then again, I actually _do_ have business to take care of there...Sorachi, I choose you!"

Once the bright light emitting from her Poké Ball faded, a green Pokémon with red eyes flew into the air, dove, and landed in front of me.

"Pretty impressive, right?"

I nodded. It was a tough-looking Pokémon; the way it handed itself in a cool, collected manner...it reminded me of my idol's star Pokémon - Bouffalant.

"This Pokémon's called Flygon," Amy explained, brushing her bangs away from her face as she got on its back. "She's a Ground/Dragon type and is usually found in Hoenn's harsh desert."

"Flyyygoo!"

Once she helped me on, she ordered, "Although it's redundant to state this, _do not let go._"

I nodded once more.

"Good! Now, Sorachi, show my buddy Trip here what you can do!"

"Fhygo~" It flapped its wings for a minute before zooming off into the sky.

"_WHAAAAA!_" Needless to say, I hugged Amy's waist with all my strength as the Pokémon somehow managed to kick it into Mach-2 speed.

"_Do you like it so far, Trip?_" She yelled over the wind.

...To like it was an understatement. I was _terrified._

* * *

"When I look at this town, I can't help but stop and just take everything in."

As if to prove this point, Amy became a blur of twirling, flipping, and giggling before made her way back to me.

"C'mon, Trip, let go of your worries and be free."

I shook my head fiercely.

"Fine, I won't force you into anything...for now. I still have to go - a_ha!_ There we are..."

By then, we were in front of a store. I suddenly found myself unable to move.

"Well, don't be shy!" She pushed me into the store - which was rather dark - and ran upstairs for a moment. Just when I was getting bored, someone shouted, "_Tanjoubi omedetou, Trip-kun!_"

I staggered back a little, unable to process what was going on. Amy and two others - one with dark hair and silver eyes, and the other with blonde hair and blue eyes - stood in front of me in traditional kimonos - Amy holding some presents, the ravenette holding a box with cake, and the blonde grinning like a Purrloin.

"What...the heck...is going _on?_"

The trio looked at each other, then at me, then at the ceiling and said, "Only the world knows, Trip-kun."

"...In English?"

"Amy felt sorry for you," the one holding a cake explained, "she figured that you probably never had a normal birthday party, so she rounded us up and planned this to make sure you'd never, and I quote, 'ever forget the day you were blessed upon this Earth.'"

I stared at Amy. "You...really felt this way?"

She nodded, her smile dazzling. "You're like family, Trip. And family care for each other."

All of a sudden, I _really _felt like crying. Amy was my babysitter, and yet...

She was much, _much_ more than that.

"Anyway," the one who was grinning like a Purrloin set up a table. "Let's have cake! After all, what Desirée wants - Desirée gets!"

* * *

"Want some cake, Trip?"

"I'm not a big fan of sweets..."

Desirée gave me a Lillipup face. "Aw, c'mon kid, just _one_ tiny slice. Do you know how much flour, eggs, milk, and other things to make a cake that Delly and I had to waste in order to get this one to total perfection?"

Delly (really Cordelia) gave her a disapproving look. "Dessy, may I remind you that _you_ were the one who screwed up six batches of cake before I came in made _this_ _one?_"

Desirée shrugged. "Details, scmetails. Point is-"

"There is, was, and never will be a point to whatever you mind came up with."

"...Well, if it's only _one_ slice..."

Clapping her hands in glee, Desirée took out the cake and put it on the table. Sticking some candles in it, she was about to light them with a match but Delly stopped her.

"'Ey! Killjoy! Give me back my match!"

Delly gave her a deadpan look. "As much as I love you, giving you _anything_ that induces flames is just asking for trouble."

She crossed her arms as Delly lit the candles. Stepping back, she said, "Make a wish, Trip."

Many wishes came to mind, such as battling and beating my idol Alder...for my parents to actually _acknowledge_ my existence...for me to be able to become a Trainer...

Finally, I just closed my eyes and blew. They cheered.

"You _go,_ Trip!"

"What did you wish for?"

"You _baka!_ You can't ask a person what they wished for!"

For the first time ever, I found myself smiling and meaning it.

...And for the first time ever, I truly felt like I belonged somewhere.

"_Ch__ū__moku!_ _Ch__ū__moku, minna!_" Desirée clapped her hands once we finished our slices of cake. "_Watashi wa koko ni purezento no jikandearu koto o sengen suru!_"

"..._Desirée!_" Delly groaned.

"What did she say?"

Amy explained, "She says, 'I hereby declare this to be presents time!'"

"Oh..."

Desirée plopped three boxes in front of my face. You could tell who made each present based on its design - Desirée's was multicolored and wild (referring to her free spirit), Amy's was warm (referring to her motherly personality), and Delly's was a mixture of the two (possibly referring to her 'middle man' status).

"O-kay! Open up!"

Desirée's box contained a sketchbook. When asked, she said, "Just in case inspiration hits you one day."

Delly's box contained a photo album. She explained, "To relive your fondest memories."

And Amy's box...

Contained a shiny teal digital camera. Just seeing it made me do the one thing I never thought I'd ever have to do - cry. And it wasn't done silently; I was to the point of hysterics.

"Trip? What's wrong?"

"This...this is the best present...anyone has _ever_...given me..." I managed to choke out. "Thank you...thank you so, _so_ much..."

Now severely embarrassed, I wiped my tears and blew my nose with a sheepish expression on my face.

"I'd like to...take a picture of you guys..."

"_Kawaii!_" squealed Desirée.

"Wha...?"

"Cute, sweet, ecetera."

"Oh."

Carefully taking the camera from the box, I aimed it at the trio. The three had their arms around each others necks, beaming happily. Amy and Desirée's left and right legs were sticking upwards, while each of their free hands were made into peace signs.

"_Cheeeese!_"

_Click!_

...Perfection.

* * *

_To this very day, I still have the picture, camera, sketchbook, and photo album. In Desirée's words, it is 'Ichiban no Takaramono' - which I believe means 'My most precious treasure.' _

_I celebrate my seventeenth birthday today with my new Legend Badge, though it doesn't feel the same now that Amy, Cordelia, and Desirée had lives unfairly taken away due to a Team Plasma attack two years ago._

_As I look at the clear blue Unovian skies, I make a promise to myself._

_I will become stronger and avenge my 'family's' deaths._

_And by doing so, their memories will live on._

_So, thank you, Amy. Thank you, Cordelia. Thank you, Desirée._

_You made my life worth living for._

* * *

_**Turning and flowing along, time is transient.**_

_**What happened then? I can't really remember,**_

_**But when I close my eyes, I hear their laughing voices.**_

_**For some reason, that is now my most precious treasure.**_

* * *

**Notes:**

**Flygon's nickname comes from: Sora, meaning sky, and Chi...which is just a cute little suffix that she attaches to _all_ of her Pokémon's nicknames.**

**Amy, Cordelia, and Desirée's names weren't picked at random - their names mean Love (Amy), Heart (Cordelia), and Desire (Who else?). While I'm on the subject of names, Amy's and Trip's last names wasn't picked at random either. Of course, you probably guessed the pun in them.**

**Tanjoubi omedetou, chūmoku, and minna means 'Happy Birthday', 'Attention', and 'Everyone' in that order.  
**

**The last four lines in this story is directly from the song Ichiban no Takaramono (another Angel Beats! song), though slightly altered to better fit the story.**

**I was always wondering just how and when Trip acquired his digital camera that he loves oh so much, so...yeah. There's my little spin on things.**

**And finally, _yes, Trip is seventeen._ This great age difference is to show three things: how much Trip has grown over the years, the reason why he's so aloof and distant to people in the anime, and why Trip is focusing so much on strength nowadays, like Paul did six seasons previously.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little one shot. Who knows, maybe some more will come.**


End file.
